By Paddy Clancy

Objections by the Catholic bishops to a proposal to lower the age for consensual sex from 17 to 16 have scuppered government plans for a referendum on children’s rights before next year’s general election.

Following a statement by the bishops criticizing the proposal on age, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was accused by critics of doing a u-turn when he said it is not a foregone conclusion that the age of consent will be reduced.

He was speaking after the bishops criticized the recommendation by an all-party parliamentary Committee on Child Protection.

Ahern said the Catholic hierarchy had been right to raise the issue of morality. He said the Cabinet had yet to consider the report and would be taking the bishops’ view into account.

The proposal to lower the age of consent was drawn up in the wake of constitutional problems over laws on statutory rape.

The bishops said they believe that the plan is wrong, and they are amazed that politicians and public opinion-makers had “shied away from confronting the basic demands of morality.”

They said that the move sent out the wrong message to children and their parents, and that should be resisted by any mature society.

According to the bishops, children needed to be protected not only from irresponsible adults but also from themselves, until they reached the age of maturity, currently considered to be 18.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny welcomed the stand taken by the bishops. "Yes, teenagers can physically have sex and they do, just as they can physically down a bottle of vodka,” he said.

“But the fact that they do does not make it right. Nor does it make it inevitable. Nor should we make it legal."

The Labor Party was critical of both the bishops and of Kenny’s support for their position. Labor’s Justice Spokesman Brendan Howlin criticized the Church for stating that the committee did not take moral issues into consideration during their deliberations.

Children’s Minister Brian Lenihan denied there is division within the government on the matter.

Lenihan said he welcomed the church's contribution to the debate, although it had not made a submission to the Child Protection Committee even though it was invited to do so.